Family's fury as they discover 'do not resuscitate' order in mother's file after she dies

By LIZ HULL

Last updated at 00:42 25 March 2008

An elderly woman was left to die in hospital after an order not to resuscitate her was issued without her family's knowledge, it has been revealed.

The daughters of Doris Jarvis, 82, found the order on her medical file after complaining about the "appalling and disgraceful" care they claimed she received.

The General Medical Council is investigating the case.

Shirley Ross, 54, and Alyson Jarvis, 51, said the Do Not Resuscitate order had been signed by a doctor but other sections, titled "discussed with the patient/carer," "outcome of discussion" and "nurse in charge" were blank and had not been signed or dated.

Medical guidelines insist DNR orders are only issued following discussion with patients or family.

Last night Mrs Ross, of Poynton, Cheshire, said: 'My mother had mild lung cancer and we were assured she would not die in hospital.

"The order lacks every necessary signature, other than that of the issuing doctor, and there is no reference to it in my mother's medical notes.

"When we asked if resuscitation had been attempted the hospital said it had not."

Her sister Alyson, who runs a gift shop in Poynton, said: "She went in a feisty, confident lady but became frightened and vulnerable. It is a horror story."

Mrs Jarvis was admitted to Macclesfield Hospital in 2006 with early onset lung cancer. But her family were unhappy with the care she received in her final days, accusing staff of having a poor attitude and the hospital of being unhygienic.

She was left in dirty clothes, in dirty sheets, and when relatives arrived after she died they found her body 'hanging out' of the bed, they said.

Her family also complained they were not told Mrs Jarvis, who was an active member of the Women's Institute in Poynton, was suffering from E.coli and the superbug Clostridium difficile when she died. They claim they only found out when the infections were listed, alongside the lung cancer, on her death certificate.

Mrs Jarvis's husband, John, 82, a retired scrap metal dealer, was so angry he lodged an official complaint against the NHS trust and was in the process of suing it when he died last year.

His daughters continued the fight and when they requested a copy of their mother's hospital file they discovered the DNR form. East Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it was unable to comment on the case because of the investigation.

But a spokesman added: "We will co-operate fully with the General Medical Council."

Bosses at the hospital have previously apologised to Mrs Jarvis's family for the "unacceptable level of service" they provided.